The Intersection of Complex Trauma and the Victimhood Narrative

Revising the storyline to move towards empowerment

My recovery from complex trauma was beset by difficulties, especially when it came to relinquishing my status as the perennial injured party. After all, there was so much truth to the pain which underscored that designation. Recurring betrayal and traumatic abuse calcified into paranoia, grueling symptoms and primitive psychological defenses. Subsequently, my pursuit of intimate relationships was fueled by a desperate longing for protection and love while simultaneously steeped in fears of abandonment and exploitation.

Given all I endured it was inevitable that the lens through which I perceived the world would be tainted by danger.

Under these conditions, it felt impossible to move past my righteous indignation as a wronged person to a place of acceptance and responsibility. Truth is, I simply didn’t have any other way to conceptualize and work through my hardship. I felt broken, outraged, and very afraid. Glorifying my suffering offered me a feeble identity. It was my story. I believed there was nothing else.

Although it is obvious that there are circumstances of victimization, such as calculated cruelty, violent physical assault and child abuse that contradict shared…